Style: Belgian Pale Ale

All Styles

Style Profile based on 874 recipes

BU:GU

0.49

Hops

3.7 g/L

Mash pH

5.58

Style Guidelines BJCP 2015 Beer
OG
1.048 1.054
1.055
FG
1.01 1.014
1.012
IBU
20 30
26
ABV
4.8% 5.5%
5.7%
SRM
8 14
Description

A moderately malty, somewhat fruity, easy-drinking, copper-colored Belgian ale that is somewhat less aggressive in flavor profile than many other Belgian beers. The malt character tends to be a bit biscuity with light toasty, honey-like, or caramelly components; the fruit character is noticeable and complementary to the malt. The bitterness level is generally moderate, but may not seem as high due to the flavorful malt profile. History: Produced by breweries with roots as far back as the mid-1700s, the most well-known examples were perfected after the Second World War with some influence from Britain, including hops and yeast strains. Style Comparison: Fairly similar to pale ales from England (Strong Bitter category), typically with a slightly different yeast character and a more varied malt profile. Less yeast character than many other Belgian beers, though.

Examples: De Koninck, De Ryck Special, Palm Dobble, Palm Speciale

Typical Grain Bill

% of total grain weight across all recipes · sums to ~100%

Common Additions

% of Belgian Pale Ale recipes using each malt category (addition % in brackets)

Hop Usage by Addition Type

g/L · median with IQR range

Bittering
0.27 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.53 g/L
Flavour
0.27 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.62 g/L
Aroma
0.27 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.63 g/L
Whirlpool
0.26 g/L 1.34 g/L
0.65 g/L
Dry Hop
0.56 g/L 2.17 g/L
0.99 g/L
Common Hops

% of Belgian Pale Ale recipes using each hop

Dry-Hop Rate by Year

g/L · median with IQR range

2018
2.25 g/L 2.63 g/L
2.25 g/L
2019
0.21 g/L 0.53 g/L
0.36 g/L
2020
0.99 g/L 2.4 g/L
1.5 g/L
2021
0.56 g/L 1.85 g/L
0.81 g/L
2022
0.23 g/L 0.23 g/L
0.23 g/L
2023
0.61 g/L 1.37 g/L
0.8 g/L
2024
0.92 g/L 1.18 g/L
1.11 g/L

dated Belgian Pale Ale recipes with at least one dry-hop addition

Common Fermentables

Colour = malt category · bar = % of recipes

Mash Profile
  • 75% Single Infusion
  • 21% Step Mash
  • 4% Decoction

163 recipes with mash data

Typical Water Profile
  • 75 ppm Ca²⁺
  • 5 ppm Mg²⁺
  • 10 ppm Na⁺
  • 75 ppm Cl⁻
  • 75 ppm SO₄²⁻
  • 100 ppm HCO₃⁻

median across recipes with a declared water profile

Similar Styles

Ranked by similarity across OG, IBU, ABV, hop rate, and grist composition.